Methods and systems for reducing acrylamide concentration in heat-processed products

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems for reducing acrylamide concentration in heat-processed products, and products produced by such methods and systems are provided. The baked products may be sprayed with a riboflavin solution and then irradiated with a UV light source to initiate monomer reactions of acrylamide and reduce the concentration of the acrylamide in the baked product. In addition, riboflavin may be dissolved in heat-processed products, followed by irradiation of the riboflavin-containing heat-processed products with a UV light source to initiate monomer reactions of acrylamide and reduce the concentration of the acrylamide in the baked product.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of application Ser. No. 16/687,448,filed Nov. 18, 2019, which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to reducing acrylamideconcentration in heat-processed products, and more particularly to usingriboflavin in combination with UV irradiation to reduce acrylamideconcentration in heat-processed products.

BACKGROUND

Acrylamide is a chemical that can form in some foods duringhigh-temperature cooking processes, such as frying, roasting, andbaking, via non-enzymatic browning reactions between reducing sugars andthe amino acid asparagine. Various methods have been developed to reducethe levels of acrylamide formed in high-temperature cooking processes.Such methods include treatment of raw materials with asparaginase enzymeto reduce the amount of asparagine present, adjustment of productionprocedures to minimize formation of acrylamide, selection of plantvarieties to minimize the reducing sugar and asparagine contents,addition of competing amino acids or acidic compounds and ingredientpretreatments such as washing or soaking to remove the reactants.However, such methods typically do not completely prevent formation ofacrylamide, and it would be desirable to effectively reduce acrylamideconcentrations in heat-processed products.

SUMMARY

Generally, methods of using riboflavin as a non-toxic photo-initiator toinitiate monomer reactions of acrylamide in the presence of ultraviolet(UV) light are described herein. As pointed out above, it is known touse riboflavin as a non-toxic photo-initiator to produce polyacrylamidegels (which are used to perform electrophoresis analysis) fromacrylamide monomer in the presence of UV light. However, the methodsdescribed herein take advantage of riboflavin's ability to act as aphoto-initiator and apply this ability to food product preparationand/or treatment in order to reduce acrylamide content in heat-processedconsumable foods.

Riboflavin is a water-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in somefoods, added to some foods, and available as a dietary supplement. Thisvitamin is an essential component of two major coenzymes, flavinmononucleotide (FMN; also known as riboflavin-5′-phosphate) and flavinadenine dinucleotide (FAD). These coenzymes play major roles in energyproduction, cellular function, growth, and development, as well asmetabolism of fats, drugs, and steroids.

Foods that are particularly rich in riboflavin include eggs, organ meats(kidneys and liver), lean meats, and milk. Green vegetables also containriboflavin. Grains and cereals are fortified with riboflavin in theUnited States and many other countries. The largest dietary contributorsof total riboflavin intake by consumers in the United States are milkand milk drinks, bread and bread products, mixed foods whose mainingredient is meat, ready-to-eat cereals, and mixed foods whose mainingredient is grain.

Riboflavin consumed orally has no reported toxicity. Reports of adverseeffects all relate to animal studies or cell culture research involvingeither drugs with phototoxicity, intense exposure of lens tissue toultraviolet light, or both in combination with high levels ofriboflavin. There are no reports of adverse reactions that can beattributed to riboflavin consumed orally from foods or dietarysupplements.

Riboflavin has been shown to be capable of acting as a polymerizationphoto-initiator, forming a free radical upon exposure to light, and thentransferring that free radical to monomeric species that then polymerizeinto oligomers and polymers, which led to uses of riboflavin as anon-toxic photo-initiator to produce polyacrylamide gels (which are usedto run electrophoresis analysis) from acrylamide monomer in the presenceof UV light.

Riboflavin has been shown to strongly absorb light of particularwavelengths. For example, an aqueous solution containing 0.08 mg/mL or80 ppm riboflavin measured in a quartz cuvette with a path length of 0.5mm is generally characterized by having a maximum of absorbance in theUV range (222 nm, 266 nm, 373 nm) and in the visible light range (445nm). It has also been observed that light corresponding to the regionsof more intense absorption will be more effective in activatingriboflavin as a photo-initiator.

Described herein are methods of removing (i.e., reducing theconcentration of) acrylamide from heat-processed food products byspraying the heat-processed products with a solution containing awater-soluble food-grade photo-initiator such as riboflavin, followed byirradiation with an intense source of UV light. Such methods takeadvantage of the fact that a large percentage of the acrylamide in aheat-processed food product is formed at or near the surface of theproduct, due to the higher temperatures and more intense browningreactions found at those surfaces during the heat-processing (e.g.,baking, frying, or the like).

According to some embodiments, a method of reducing acrylamideconcentration in a heat-processed product includes spraying a riboflavinsolution onto at least a portion of an exterior surface of theheat-processed product; and irradiating the riboflavin solution-sprayedheat-processed product with a UV light source to initiate monomerreactions of acrylamide and reduce the acrylamide concentration in theheat-processed product.

According to other embodiments, a method of reducing acrylamideconcentration in a heat-processed product includes dissolving riboflavinin the heat-processed product and irradiating the heat-processed producthaving the riboflavin dissolved therein with a UV light source toinitiate monomer reactions of acrylamide and reduce the concentration ofthe acrylamide in the heat-processed product.

According to yet other embodiments, a system for reducing acrylamideconcentration in a heat-processed product includes a conveyor includinga product advancement surface configured to move a heat-processedproduct in first direction; at least one nozzle positioned adjacent theproduct advancement surface and configured to spray a riboflavinsolution onto at least a portion of an exterior surface of theheat-processed product during movement of the heat-processed product onthe product advancement surface of the conveyor; and at least one UVlight source positioned adjacent the product advancement surface anddownstream of the at least one nozzle, at least one UV light sourceconfigured to irradiate at least a portion of the exterior surface ofthe heat-processed product during movement of the heat-processed producton the product advancement surface of the conveyor.

The riboflavin solution may be a solution of riboflavin dissolved inwater, a solution of riboflavin dissolved in a solution containing waterand ethanol, or the like. The riboflavin solution may contain from about1 ppm to about 1000 ppm riboflavin. The riboflavin solution may besprayed onto the exterior surface of the heat-processed product (e.g.,biscuit, bread, or the like), or dissolved in a heat-processed product(e.g., molasses or the like) in an amount of about 1% to about 5% byweight of the heat-processed product.

The riboflavin solution-sprayed heat-processed product may be irradiatedwith a UV light source that provides wavelengths between 200 nm and 400nm (for example, 254 nm, 365 nm, etc.). In certain aspects (for example,depending on the intensity of the UV light source), the heat-processedproduct may be irradiated with the UV light source for about 1 second toabout 60 seconds. Preferably, the heat-processed product is irradiatedwith UV light in a manner that ensures that the UV light penetrates theentire thickness of the heat-processed product. The heat-processedproduct may be a product that is ready for consumption (e.g., a biscuitproduct, a bread product, crisps, chips, cookies, or the like), or maybe a product that may be used as a raw ingredient to prepare otherproducts (e.g., molasses or the like).

The present inventors unexpectedly discovered that spraying ariboflavin-containing solution onto an exterior surface of aheat-processed baked product, as well as dissolving riboflavin in aheat-processed product, followed by irradiation of the heat-processedproduct with a UV light source significantly reduces the concentrationof acrylamide, which is known to be generated in the heat-processedproduct during the heat processing. The heat-processed products producedaccording to the methods and systems described herein have a reducedacrylamide concentration as compared to the heat-processed products thatare not subjected to the presently described methods and systems, andmake the heat-processed products produced by the methods and systemsdescribed herein significantly safer for consumers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Disclosed herein are embodiments of systems and methods pertaining tomethods and systems for reducing acrylamide concentration inheat-processed products. This description includes drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a process flow diagram of an exemplary method of treating aheat-processed product by spraying an exterior surface of theheat-processed product with a riboflavin solution, followed by UV lightirradiation to reduce acrylamide concentration therein;

FIG. 2 is a process flow diagram of another exemplary method of treatinga heat-processed product by dissolving riboflavin in the heat-processedproduct, followed by UV light irradiation to reduce acrylamideconcentration therein;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a system for treating a heat-processedproduct by spraying an exterior surface of the heat-processed productwith a riboflavin solution, followed by UV light irradiation to reduceacrylamide concentration therein;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a system for treating a heat-processedproduct by dissolving riboflavin in the heat-processed product, followedby UV light irradiation to reduce acrylamide concentration therein;

FIG. 5 is a chart representing percent acrylamide (AA) reduction atvarious riboflavin concentrations and light wavelengths;

FIG. 6 is a chart representing oxidative volatile concentrationsmeasured to be present in Ginger Snaps® following storage for 1 month at126° F.;

FIG. 7 is a chart representing oxidative volatile concentrationsmeasured to be present in belVita® biscuits following storage for 1month at 126° F.; and

FIG. 8 is a chart representing percent acrylamide (AA) reductionresulting from 100 ppm riboflavin spray as a function of UV lampintensity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Methods and systems for reducing acrylamide concentration inheat-processed products, and products produced by such methods andsystems, are described herein. The heat-processed products may besprayed with a riboflavin or riboflavin-5′-phosphate solution and thenirradiated with a UV light source to initiate monomer reactions ofacrylamide and reduce the concentration of the acrylamide in theheat-processed product. Also, riboflavin or riboflavin-5′-phosphate maybe dissolved in heat-processed products, followed by irradiation of theriboflavin-containing heat-processed products with a UV light source toinitiate monomer reactions of acrylamide and reduce the concentration ofthe acrylamide in the heat-processed product.

A process flow diagram of an exemplary method 100 of treating aheat-processed product to reduce the acrylamide concentration therein isdepicted in FIG. 1. In certain aspects, the method 100 can be used totreat heat-processed products that are ready for consumption (e.g.,biscuit products, a bread products, crisps, chips, or the like). Themethod 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes providing a heat-processed product(step 110), spraying a riboflavin solution onto at least a portion ofthe exterior surface of the heat-processed product (step 120); andirradiating the riboflavin solution-sprayed heat-processed product witha UV light source to initiate monomer reactions of acrylamide and reducethe acrylamide concentration in the heat-processed product (step 130).

With reference to FIG. 3, an exemplary system 300 for reducingacrylamide concentration in a heat-processed product includes a conveyor310 with a product advancement surface 320 for supporting andtransporting raw ingredients 330 (i.e., precursors of heat-processedproducts 350) upstream of the heating source 340, as well as forsupporting and transporting the heat-processed products 350 themselvesdownstream of the heating source 340. In some embodiments, the conveyor310 is a chain link type conveyor belt such that portions of theheat-processed products 350 being moved by the conveyor 310 would beexposed to the UV light emitted by the UV light source 370 located belowthe conveyor 310. In some aspects, the heating source 340 is a bakingoven that can bake the raw ingredients 330 in order to produce aheat-processed product 350 that is baked (e.g., biscuit, crisp, gingersnap, cookie, or the like).

In some embodiments, the system 300 includes spray nozzles 360positioned adjacent the product advancement surface 320. In theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the system 300 includes a first spraynozzle 360 positioned above the product advancement surface 320 and asecond spray nozzle 360 positioned below the product advancement surface320. As such, the first and second spray nozzles 360 are positioned in away that they can spray a riboflavin-containing solution onto both anupward-facing and the downward-facing surface of the heat-processedproduct 350 moving on the product advancement surface 320. Of course, itwill be appreciated that the system 300 is shown with two spray nozzles360 by way of example only, and that more than two spray nozzles 360(e.g., 3, 4, 5, 6, or more) or less than two spray nozzles 360 (e.g.,one spray nozzle) may be used.

As mentioned above, the riboflavin solution may be a solution ofriboflavin or riboflavin-5′-phosphate dissolved in pure water, asolution of riboflavin or riboflavin-5′-phosphate dissolved in asolution containing water and food-safe organic solvent such as ethanol,or the like. Without wishing to be limited by theory, incorporation ofan organic solvent may accelerate the drying process post-treatment andhelp to preserve the riboflavin solution against microbial growth. Invarious embodiments, the riboflavin solution contains from about 1 ppmto about 1000 ppm riboflavin or riboflavin-5′-phosphate. As shown inFIG. 5, it has been found that increasing the concentration ofriboflavin in the riboflavin-containing solution increases the resultingreduction of acrylamide in the heat-processed product that has beensprayed by the riboflavin-containing solution and later irradiated witha UV light source. The concentration of riboflavin may be adjustedupward or downward from the target concentration (e.g., 100 ppm) inorder to optimize the balance between organoleptic acceptability of thetreated product and acrylamide reduction in the treated product.

With reference back to FIG. 3, in some aspects, the spray nozzles 360are configured to spray the heat-processed product 350 that is moving onthe product advancement surface 320 of the conveyor 310 such that theriboflavin-containing solution is applied to the exterior surface of theheat-processed product 350 in an amount of about 1% to about 5% byweight of the heat-processed product 350. For example, in someembodiments, where the heat-processed product is a baked belVita®biscuit that weighs 12.5 grams, the amount of riboflavin-containingsolution that may be sprayed onto the exterior surface of the biscuitmay be from about 0.1 g to about 0.7 g (in one aspect, from about 0.125g to about 0.625 g, in another aspect, from about 0.2 g to about 0.5 gand in another aspect, from about 0.3 g to about 0.4 g).

The system 300 of FIG. 3 further includes UV light sources 370positioned adjacent the product advancement surface 320 of the conveyorand downstream of the spray nozzles 360. As such, after the exteriorsurface heat-processed product 350 is sprayed with theriboflavin-containing solution by the spray nozzles 360, the UV lightsources irradiate the exterior surface of the heat-processed product 350during movement of the heat-processed product 350 on the productadvancement surface 320 of the conveyor 310.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the system 300 includes two UV lightsources 370, a first UV light source 370 positioned above the productadvancement surface 320 and a second UV light source 370 positionedbelow the product advancement surface 320. As such, the first and secondUV light sources 370 are positioned such that they can irradiate boththe upward-facing and the downward-facing surface of the riboflavinsolution-sprayed heat-processed product 350 that is moving on theproduct advancement surface 320. In some aspects, the UV light sources370 may be configured as an irradiated tunnel containing a series ofmercury lamps, Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) or equivalent light sourcescapable of emitting UV light to initiate the reactions. In some aspects,forced air convection and heating may be added to the UV tunnel toachieve moisture reduction during or after the UV irradiation of theriboflavin-sprayed heat-processed products as they pass through thetunnel.

In some embodiments, each of the UV light sources 370 is positionedrelative to the product advancement surface 320 of the conveyor 310 suchthat the lamp of each UV light source 370 is located approximately 2.5inches from the exterior (e.g., upwardly-facing or downwardly-facing)surface of the heat-processed product 350. It will be appreciated that,in various embodiments, depending on the intensity of the UV lightsources 370, the UV light sources 370 may be positioned such that thelamp is further than 2.5 inches from the exterior surface of theheat-processed product 350 (i.e., if the UV light sources 370 are mediumto high intensity), or closer than 2.5 inches from the exterior surfaceof the heat-processed product 350 (i.e., if the UV light sources 370 arelow to medium intensity). Generally, low lamp intensity may beconsidered to be 0-1000 μW/cm², medium lamp intensity may be consideredto be 1000-4000 μW/cm², and high lamp intensity may be considered to be4000-5000 μW/cm².

In some embodiments, the UV light source 370 is configured to providewavelengths between 200 nm and 400 nm. In some aspects, the UV lightsource 370 is a mercury vapor lamp that is configured to providewavelengths between 200 nm and 600 nm. In other aspects, the UV lightsource 370 is a variable wavelength UV lamp configured to provide threewavelengths, namely, 254 nm, 302 nm, and 365 nm. Yet in other aspects,the UV light source 370 is a high intensity, shortwave quartz grid lampused together with a predetermined bandpass filter (e.g., a 254 nmfilter, a 365 nm filter, or the like). It will be appreciated that theUV light sources are described by way of example only, and that othersuitable UV light sources (e.g., light emitting diode (LED) lights) maybe used as well.

With reference to FIG. 3, the product advancement surface 320 of theconveyor 310 is set (e.g., via a control unit coupled to the conveyor310) to move the riboflavin solution-sprayed heat-processed product 350at a speed that provides the riboflavin solution-sprayed heat-processedproduct 350 with irradiation by the UV light sources 370 for about 1second to about 60 seconds. In various embodiments, if the UV lightsources 370 are high intensity, the speed of the conveyor 310 and theamount of time the UV light sources 370 stay on to irradiate theheat-processed product 350 may be set such that the heat-processedproduct 350 is irradiated for about 1-15 seconds, if the UV lightsources 370 are medium intensity, the speed of the conveyor 310 and theamount of time the UV light sources 370 stay on may be set such that theheat-processed product 350 is irradiated for about 15- 45 seconds, andif the UV light sources 370 are low intensity, the speed of the conveyor310 and the amount of time the UV light sources 370 stay on may be setsuch that the heat-processed product 350 is irradiated for 45-60seconds. As mentioned above, low lamp intensity may be considered to be0-1000 μW/cm², medium lamp intensity may be considered to be 1000-4000μW/cm², and high lamp intensity may be considered to be 4000-5000μW/cm².

In the illustrated embodiment, the system 300 includes a dryer 380downstream of the UV light sources 370. The dryer 380 could be one dryeras shown in FIG. 3, or two dryers 380, with one being positioned abovethe conveyor 310 and one being positioned below the conveyor 310. Apurpose of the dryer 380 is to reduce the moisture content that wasadded to the heat-processed product 350 as a result of the spraying ofthe riboflavin-containing solution by the spray nozzles 360, such thatthe heat-processed product 350 can be packaged while it is in a drystate. It will be appreciated that the dryer would be set to atemperature or a range of temperatures that would be below the thresholdfor acrylamide formation in the heat-processed product 350 as theheat-processed product passes through the dryer 380.

A process flow diagram illustrating another exemplary method 200 oftreating a heat-processed product to reduce the acrylamide concentrationtherein is depicted in FIG. 2. In certain aspects, the method 200 can beused to treat heat-processed products that are in asemi-liquid/semi-solid form, and which may be used as ingredients formaking other products (e.g., molasses or the like). The method 200illustrated in FIG. 2 includes providing a heat-processed ingredient(step 210), spraying a riboflavin solution onto at least a portion ofthe exterior surface of the heat-processed ingredient (step 220); andirradiating the riboflavin solution-sprayed heat-processed ingredientwith a UV light source to initiate monomer reactions of acrylamide andreduce the acrylamide concentration in the heat-processed product (step230).

With reference to FIG. 4, an exemplary system 400 for reducingacrylamide concentration in a heat-processed product includes a conveyor410 including a product advancement surface 420 for supporting andtransporting a heat-processed product 450 that has riboflavin dissolvedtherein. For example, in one aspect, the heat-processed product 450 is asemi-liquid/semi-solid/viscous product such as molasses to whichriboflavin is added (for example, in the form of a solution whereriboflavin is dissolved in water, a solution where riboflavin isdissolved in a solution of water and ethanol, or the like), and theriboflavin-containing product 450 (e.g., molasses) is stirred until theriboflavin is dissolved therein. As mentioned above, in variousembodiments, the riboflavin solution contains from about 1 ppm to about1000 ppm riboflavin and the riboflavin-containing solution is dissolvedin the heat-processed product 450 in an amount of about 1% to about 5%by weight of the heat-processed product 450.

The system 400 of FIG. 4 further includes a UV light source 470positioned adjacent the product advancement surface 420 of the conveyor410. As such, the heat-processed product 450 having the riboflavindissolved therein is irradiated by the UV light source 470 duringmovement of the heat-processed product 450 on the product advancementsurface 420 of the conveyor 410. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG.4, the system 400 includes one UV light source 470 positioned in a waythat it irradiates the riboflavin solution-sprayed heat-processedproduct 450 moving on the product advancement surface 420 from above.Since the heat-processed product 450 is in asemi-liquid/semi-solid/viscous form, the inventors found that having oneUV light source 470 positioned above the heat-processed product 450sufficiently penetrates and irradiates the heat-processed product 450with UV light throughout. It will be appreciated that the system 400 mayalso include two UV light sources 470 akin to the two UV light sources370 of the system 300, namely, a first UV light source 470 positionedabove the product advancement surface 420 and a second UV light source470 positioned below the product advancement surface 420

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the heat-processed product 450 isshown as being retained in a heating-safe container such as a tray 490or the like, which includes a bottom wall 492 and sidewalls 494extending upwardly therefrom. In one aspect, the bottom wall 492 of thetray 490 is formed of, or coated with a light reflective material (e.g.,aluminum, etc.) that would reflect the UV light emitted onto theheat-processed product 450 from above by the UV light source 470, andfacilitate dispersion of the UV light throughout the heat-processedproduct 450.

In some embodiments, the UV light source 470 is positioned relative tothe product advancement surface 420 of the conveyor 410 such that thelamp of the UV light source 470 is located approximately 2.5 inches fromthe exterior (e.g., upwardly-facing) surface of the heat-processedproduct 450. Same as above, it will be appreciated that, in variousembodiments, depending on the intensity of the UV light source 470, theUV light source 470 may be positioned such that the lamp is closer than2.5 inches from the exterior surface of the heat-processed product 450(i.e., if the UV light source 470 are medium to high intensity), orfurther away than 2.5 inches from the exterior surface of theheat-processed product 450 (i.e., if the UV light source 470 is low tomedium intensity). As mentioned above, low lamp intensity may beconsidered to be 0-1000 μW/cm², medium lamp intensity may be consideredto be 1000-4000 μW/cm², and high lamp intensity may be considered to be4000-5000 μW/cm².

Like the UV light sources 370 of FIG. 3, the UV light source 470 of FIG.4 is configured to provide wavelengths between 200 nm and 400 nm. Insome aspects, the UV light source 470 is a mercury vapor lamp configuredto provide wavelengths between 200 nm and 600 nm. In other aspects, theUV light source 470 is a variable wavelength UV lamp configured toprovide three wavelengths, namely, 254 nm, 302 nm, and 365 nm. Yet inother aspects, the UV light source 470 is a high intensity, shortwavequartz grid lamp used together with a predetermined bandpass filter(e.g., a 254 nm filter, a 365 nm filter, or the like). It will beappreciated that other suitable UV light sources (e.g., LED lights) maybe used as well.

With reference to FIG. 4, the product advancement surface 420 of theconveyor 410 is set (e.g., via a control unit coupled to the conveyor410) to move the riboflavin solution-sprayed heat-processed product 450at a speed that provides the riboflavin solution-sprayed heat-processedproduct 450 with irradiation by the UV light sources 470 for about 1second to about 60 seconds. In various embodiments, if the UV lightsource 470 is high intensity, the speed of the conveyor 410 and the timethe UV light source 470 irradiates the heat-processed product 450 may beset such that the heat-processed product 450 is irradiated for about1-15 seconds. If the UV light source is 470 medium intensity, the speedof the conveyor 410 and the time the UV light source 470 irradiates theheat-processed product 450 may be set such that the heat-processedproduct 450 is irradiated for about 15- 45 seconds. If the UV lightsource is 470 low intensity, the speed of the conveyor 410 and the timethe UV light source 470 irradiates the heat-processed product 450 may beset such that the heat-processed product 450 is irradiated for 45-60seconds.

As mentioned above, generally, low lamp intensity may be considered tobe 0-1000 μW/cm², medium lamp intensity may be considered to be1000-4000 μW/cm², and high lamp intensity may be considered to be4000-5000 μW/cm².In the illustrated embodiment, the system 400 includesa dryer 480 downstream of the UV light source 470. A purpose of thedryer 480 is to reduce the moisture content that was added to theheat-processed product 450 as a result of dissolving theriboflavin-containing solution therein. As mentioned above, it will beappreciated that the dryer would be set to a temperature or a range oftemperatures that would be below the threshold for forming acrylamide inthe heat-processed product 450 as the heat-processed product passesthrough the dryer 480.

Advantages and embodiments of the methods and systems and productsdescribed herein are further illustrated by the following examples;however, the particular conditions, processing schemes, materials, andamounts thereof recited in these examples, as well as other conditionsand details, should not be construed to unduly limit these methods andsystems. All percentages recited herein are by weight unless specifiedotherwise.

The following examples illustrate reduction of acrylamide inheat-processed products according to exemplary methods described herein.

EXAMPLES Example 1

An experiment (which was run in triplicate) was carried out, treatingbelVita® baked biscuits that were intentionally exposed to longer thannormal heat processing (e.g., baking) times in order to contain higherthan normal acrylamide levels (i.e., approximately 700 ppb) withriboflavin and UV treatment. The control biscuits were heated at 110° C.for 10 minutes to simulate hot biscuits exiting a baking oven. The UVbiscuits were heated at 110° C. for 10 minutes, then placed under UVlight for 30 seconds per side. The UV +Ribo biscuits were heated at 110°C. for 10 minutes, then sprayed on each side with 1000 ppmriboflavin-5-phosphate in water, then placed under UV (365 nm) for 30-60seconds per side. As shown below in Table 1 below, results of theanalysis of the biscuits by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(LC/MS) showed a reduction of acrylamide content of 25-51% depending onthe length of UV light exposure of the biscuits and the amount ofriboflavin solution applied to the biscuits.

In particular, as can be seen in Table 1 below, in the first run,Control Biscuit A had 758 ng/g of acrylamide, UV Biscuit A had 691 ng/gof acrylamide and UV +Ribo Biscuit A had 591 ng/g of acrylamide (areduction of approximately 22%). In the second run, Control Biscuit Bhad 731 ng/g of acrylamide and UV +Ribo Biscuit A had 361 ng/g ofacrylamide (a reduction of approximately 51%). In the third run, ControlBiscuit C had 760 ng/g of acrylamide, and UV +Ribo Biscuit A had 536ng/g of acrylamide (a reduction of approximately 29%). On average, theControl Biscuits had approximately 750 ng/g acrylamide and the UV +RiboBiscuits had approximately 496 ng/g acrylamide, which is a reduction ofapproximately 34%.

TABLE 1 Acrylamide Reduction Using UV Light And UV Light Plus RiboflavinAcrylamide Std Sample description ng/g Average Deviation Control ABiscuit 758 Control B Biscuit 731 749.67 16.20 Control C Biscuit 760UV-A Biscuit 691 UV-B Biscuit 856 765.67 83.61 UV-C Biscuit 750 UV +Ribo-A Biscuit 591 UV + Ribo-B Biscuit 361 496.00 120.10 UV + Ribo-CBiscuit 536

Example 2

An experiment was carried out during the manufacture of Nabisco GingerSnaps® to determine how riboflavin spray plus UV light irradiationaffects heat-processed products that include heat-processed (andacrylamide-containing) ingredients (e.g., molasses and ginger rawmaterials). Samples of Ginger Snaps® containing approximately 360 ppbacrylamide were collected as manufactured, and after treatment withvarious concentrations of riboflavin spray and two different wavelengthsof UV light. These samples were analyzed for acrylamide content byLC/MS.

Only a very small reduction in acrylamide content was seen in thetreated samples (approximately 2.1% on average). Later, it wasdetermined that the detectable acrylamide in the Ginger Snaps® wasintroduced via the molasses and ginger raw materials (which areheat-processed themselves), and thus the acrylamide was found not to beconcentrated at the surface of the Ginger Snaps®. These results indicatethat while spraying a riboflavin-containing solution followed by UVirradiation was very effective in removing acrylamide at the surface ofbiscuits which contain only acrylamide that is formed at their surfaceduring heat processing, this treatment is not very effective at treatingthe bulk of the biscuits that include ingredients that are themselvesheat-processed and include acrylamide therein.

Example 3

This experiment was carried out to test whether the UV treatment ofheat-processed biscuits could cause an increase in oxidation rates inthe biscuits and therefore reduce the usable shelf life of the biscuits.To that end, samples of Ginger Snaps® and belVita® were treated withriboflavin and UV light and placed in accelerated storage at 126° F. forone month (equivalent to six months of shelf storage at ambienttemperature). After one month of accelerated storage, the samples wereanalyzed by gas chromatography (GC) for oxidative volatiles that areknown markers for oxidative rancidity, namely, pentanal, hexanal,heptenal, heptanal, and octanal.

As can be seen in FIG. 6, for Ginger Snaps®, the results indicate noincreased oxidation in the biscuits when sprayed with a riboflavinsolution in the range of 1 ppm to 1000 ppm, followed by UV lightirradiation at both 254 nm and 365 nm. FIG. 6 shows that hexanal valuesdetected in the Ginger Snaps® being just over 1 ppm or lower than 1 ppm,which is well below the industry-acceptable value of 10 ppm. SimilarlyFIG. 7 shows that the results indicate that treatment of belVita®biscuits with riboflavin spray at 1 ppm to 1000 ppm, followed by UVlight at 254 nm and 365 nm does not cause increase oxidation in thebiscuits. FIG. 7 shows that hexanal values detected in the belVita®biscuits were 1ppm or lower, which is well below the industry acceptablevalue of 10 ppm.

Example 4

An experiment (which was run in triplicate) was carried out to comparethe effects of various UV wavelengths alone and in combination withriboflavin pre-treatment in removing acrylamide from baked products thatwere prepared to have a normal acrylamide level (not the higher thannormal acrylamide levels of above 700 ppb as used in Example 1).Solutions of various concentration were prepared by dissolving theappropriate amount of riboflavin-5′-phosphate sodium salt dihydrate(Alfa Aesar, Ward Hill, Mass., CAS# 6184-17-4) in ultra-high puritywater (18 Mohm resistivity) to achieve concentrations of 0, 1, 10, 100and 1000 ppm riboflavin. Ultrasonication for 20 minutes was used toassist in dissolution of riboflavin in the water.

Two different UV/visible light lamps and sunlight were used to irradiatethe riboflavin-solution-treated biscuits. The first lamp was a variablewavelength model with 254 nm, 302 nm, 365 nm bandpass settings (ModelUVP 3UV, Analytik Jena US, Beverly, Mass.) and the second was a UV GridLamp with a removable 254 nm bandpass filter (Model R-52G, Analytik JenaUS, Beverly, Mass.).

Output of both lamps at 254 nm (with the biscuits being at a distance of2.5″ from the lamps) and sunlight at 254 nm was measured with anAnalytik Jena US UVX radiometer. Sunlight irradiation was the result ofnatural sunlight in Branchburg, New Jersey from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm on acloudless day in August of 2019. The results are shown Table 2 below:

TABLE 2 Emission of UV lamps and Sunlight Emission 254 nm with Emission254 nm without Lamp ID Filter (μW/cm²) Filter (μW/cm²) UVP-3UV 1709 N/AR-52G 1709 4810 Sunlight N/A 375

As can be seen in Table 2, the two UV lamps have very similar outputswith their filters in place. The R-52G lamp with the filter removed hasa much higher output at 254 nm and provides the output of the completeHg lamp spectrum of 200 nm to 600 nm, which subjects the samples to ahigher level of UV and visible light at multiple wavelengths. Sunlightis seen to be much less intense than either of the UV lamps tested.

The belVita® biscuits (each biscuit weight 12.5 g) were treated byspraying each side of the biscuit with 2-3 sprays of riboflavin solution(equivalent to approximately 0.4-0.5 g of solution applied). The sprayedbiscuits were immediately placed under the UV light source at a distanceof 2.5″ from the UV light source and irradiated for 60 seconds on eachside. Experiments were carried out using the UVP-3UV lamp at 365 nm, theUVP-3UV lamp at 254 nm and the R-52G lamp with its filter removed (fullHg lamp spectrum).

Treated and control biscuits were analyzed for acrylamide content usingthe US FDA LC-MS method (United States Food and Drug Administration,Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Office of Plant & DairyFoods and Beverages, “Detection and Quantitation of Acrylamide inFoods,” 2002). The results of the experiments are shown in FIG. 5.

Notably, the 0 ppm riboflavin solution in water still produced a smallreduction in acrylamide content. This amount is consistent with theamount of weight gained by the biscuits from the water in the spray, andthe error of the analytical method. Another set of biscuits wassubjected only to UV light exposure at 365 nm, and showed no reductionin acrylamide content, illustrating that light exposure alone is notsufficient to reduce acrylamide content.

Statistical analysis of the replicate data from the experiments showedthat a 20% reduction from control is statistically significant at the95% confidence level. Statistically significant reductions in acrylamidecontent were achieved by treatments of 1 ppm-1000 ppm riboflavin at 254nm and 365 nm, and at 100ppm with the full Hg spectrum, with the 100 ppmriboflavin level identified as the optimum concentration tested at 254nm and 1000 ppm riboflavin level identified as the optimum concentrationtested at 365 nm. Only the 100 ppm riboflavin treatment was tested withthe full spectrum lamp as it appeared to be the optimum concentration at254 nm. In addition, 254 nm appears to be more effective than 365 nm,and using the full unfiltered Hg lamp spectrum appears to be moreeffective than either the 254 nm or the 365 nm filtered spectrum.

The results (see FIG. 5) of the acrylamide reduction analysis by LC/MSanalysis showed a significant reduction of acrylamide, where at ariboflavin concentration of 100 ppm, the average acrylamide reductionpercentage was 25% with 254 nm irradiation, and 18% with 365 nmirradiation. At riboflavin concentration of 1 ppm, the averageacrylamide reduction percentage was 14% with 254 nm irradiation, and 11%with 365 nm irradiation. At riboflavin concentration of 10 ppm, theaverage acrylamide reduction percentage was 20% with 254 nm irradiation,and 16% with 365 nm irradiation. At riboflavin concentration of 1000ppm, the average acrylamide reduction percentage was 13% with 254 nmirradiation and 19% with 365 nm irradiation.

In addition, as shown graphically in FIG. 8, this experiment clearlyshowed that the total intensity of UV light delivered to the biscuits isalso critical to the amount of acrylamide reduction achieved, with moreintense UV light sources delivering greater reduction in acrylamidelevels. Using more intense sources results in greater acrylamidereduction in a given exposure time, thus allowing the time needed forexposure to be shortened considerably versus a less intense source.

In some embodiments, LEDs with power densities approaching 3 W/cm² maybe used. Without wishing to be limited by theory, such intense sourcescan considerably increase the effectiveness and reduce the treatmenttime for acrylamide reduction by the methods described above.

To illustrate the critical nature of the intense UV light source toacrylamide reduction, biscuits with either (1) no treatment, (2) a waterspray and (3) a 100ppm riboflavin in water spray were subjected tosunlight on a cloudless day in Branchburg, N.J. (corresponding to the UVemission in Table 2 above), for a period of 4 hours, two hours per sideof the biscuits.

As can be seen in Table 3, below, no significant reduction in acrylamidewas achieved for any of the three treatments that involve exposure ofthe biscuits to sunlight instead of an intense UV light lamp akin tothose described above. In Table 3, negative results indicate acrylamidecontent higher than the control biscuits. In the case of thesunlight-only treatment, the higher than control acrylamide results maybe due to drying of the biscuits in the sun resulting in a greatercontent of solids versus moisture and/or to generation of additionalacrylamide by prolonged sunlight exposure.

TABLE 3 Results of Sunlight Exposure of Treated Biscuits Acrylamide %Average % Std Sample Description (ppm) Reduction Reduction DeviationControl Composite 623 of 5 Biscuits Ribo 100 ppm + 636 −2.09 0.26 4.68Sunlight 1 Ribo 100 ppm + 626 −0.48 Sunlight 2 Ribo 100 ppm + 625 −0.32Sunlight 3 Ribo 100 ppm + 648 −4.01 Sunlight 4 Ribo 100 ppm + 572 8.19Sunlight 5 Water + Sunlight 1 636 −2.09 −3.69 5.36 Water + Sunlight 2633 −1.61 Water + Sunlight 3 681 −9.31 Water + Sunlight 4 602 3.37Water + Sunlight 5 678 −8.83 Sunlight Only 1 711 −14.1 −14.41 2.35Sunlight Only 2 714 −14.6 Sunlight Only 3 716 −14.9 Sunlight Only 4 691−10.9 Sunlight Only 5 732 −17.5

The evidence generated by the Examples above shows that treatment ofheat-processed foods with a riboflavin spray followed by UV lightexposure is an effective method of reducing acrylamide content. Inaddition, as Example 4 shows, in order to initiate monomer reactions ofacrylamide and significantly reduce the acrylamide concentration in thebiscuits/heat-processed product, after the heat-processed product issprayed by a riboflavin-containing solution or after theriboflavin-containing solution is dissolved in a heat-processed product,the heat-processed product has to be irradiated by a UV light sourcehaving an intensity that is higher than sunlight. Taken as a whole, themethods and systems described herein advantageously provide forsignificant reduction in the levels of acrylamide in heat-processedfoods, rendering the foods treated by the methods and systems describedlower in levels of acrylamide present therein.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that a wide variety of othermodifications, alterations, and combinations can also be made withrespect to the above described embodiments without departing from thescope of the invention, and that such modifications, alterations, andcombinations are to be viewed as being within the ambit of the inventiveconcept.

1-11. (canceled)
 12. A system for treating an oven-baked productcontaining acrylamide to reduce a concentration of the acrylamidepresent in the oven-baked product, the system comprising: a baking ovenconfigured to bake ingredients of the oven-baked product and provide theoven-baked product a conveyor having a product advancement surfaceconfigured to move the oven-baked product in first a downstreamdirection relative to the baking oven; at least one nozzle positionedadjacent the product advancement surface and configured to spray ariboflavin solution containing from about 1 ppm to about 1000 ppmriboflavin onto at least a portion of an exterior surface of theoven-baked product to provide a riboflavin solution-sprayed ovenbaked-product during movement of the oven-baked product on the productadvancement surface of the conveyor; and at least one UV light sourcepositioned adjacent the product advancement surface and downstream ofthe at least one nozzle, the at least one UV light source configured toinitiate monomer reactions of acrylamide and thereby reduce theconcentration of the acrylamide present in the riboflavinsolution-sprayed oven-baked product by irradiating, at a wavelengthbetween 200 nm and 400 nm and at an intensity of from about 1000 μW/cm²to about 5000 μW/cm², the at least a portion of the exterior surface ofthe riboflavin solution-sprayed oven-baked product during movement ofthe riboflavin solution-sprayed oven-baked product on the productadvancement surface of the conveyor.
 13. The system of claim 12, whereinthe riboflavin solution is selected from riboflavin dissolved in waterand riboflavin dissolved in a water and ethanol solution.
 14. (canceled)15. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one nozzle isconfigured to spray the at least a portion of the exterior surface ofthe oven-baked product with the riboflavin solution in an amount ofabout 1% to about 5% by weight of the oven-baked product.
 16. (canceled)17. The system of claim 16, wherein the product advancement surface ofthe conveyor is set to move the riboflavin solution-sprayed oven-bakedproduct at a speed that provides the riboflavin solution-sprayedoven-baked product with irradiation by the UV light source for about 1second to about 45 seconds and a reduction of the concentration of theacrylamide present in the oven-based product by about 10% to about 50%.18. The system of claim 12, further comprising a dryer downstream of theat least one UV light source, the dryer configured to reduce a moisturecontent of the riboflavin solution-sprayed and UV-irradiated oven-bakedproduct.